A Token of My Affection
by 554Laura
Summary: A fluffy one shot. Hannah has left, and Booth and Brennan are finally together. Booth decides he wants to get Brennan a gift to mark the occasion. By the way, I still don't own Bones...


_A/N: This is the result of an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. It's not the most original idea, but I decided to indulge myself anyway. If you have time to review my story, I'd appreciate it. Set at the end of season 6, before the Change in the Game._

Seeley Booth gave himself a sly grin in the visor mirror of his SUV as he checked his appearance one more time. He ran his hand through his hair a bit to spike it up before getting out of the car, winking at himself as he checked out his reflection. "You're really a good lookin' guy, aren't you, Booth? At least a certain someone says you are..." He chuckled as he got out of the car. Locking the doors, he whistled a cheerful little tune as he walked to the elevator that would take him from the parking garage up to the floor of the building that held his office. Booth barely noticed the dark skies and the damp chill in the air. As far as he could tell the day was sunny and warm. Pressing the button to open the elevator door, he waited patiently, humming and tapping his foot. It was a great day to be alive. Seeley Booth was in love….finally deeply, truly in love...the thirty or forty or fifty years kind of love...

Wanting to maintain the proper amount of decorum in the office, Booth had decided to make a conscious effort to present his normal taciturn exterior to the agents in his department this morning. He would show himself to be calm, cool, and collected. Booth ran his division in the same basic fashion as his platoons had been run when he was in the Army. A little bit of wiggle room was tolerated from the people under his command as long as expectations were met, but at the end of the day, the decision of Special Agent in Charge Booth was final, and his word was to be taken as law. However, as Booth smirked to himself when he walked off the elevator, he realized his normal dour expression wouldn't be evident this morning, since he couldn't help grinning like an idiot. Today the agents who worked for him might've gotten away with all sorts of foolishness if he hadn't trained them so well. Laughing at his own silliness, he hoped he wouldn't be in the position of having to go out on a case or make a major decision today, because all he could think about right now about was his beautiful Bones.

 _His_ Bones. She loved _him_! Booth was certain he was walking with a spring in his step and a sparkle in his eye, and he also knew the agents in the bullpen would be surprised to see such a broad smile on his face, but he couldn't help it. Booth was in love with the most wonderful woman in the world, and she loved him in return. It was incredible! She loved him, and it made the whole world a better place. He waved happily at Agent Mueller, whom he could barely stomach, and made sure to greet Agent Rumler warmly and ask about her new baby. Booth laughed at the usual corny pun from Agent Horton and pretended not to notice that Agent Jepson's shirt had a large coffee stain on the front and was covered with doughnut crumbs. He greeted the perpetually tardy Agent Sims with a lighthearted laugh. The Special Agent in Charge was too happy to notice anything out of place in the office today. Booth was a man in the throes of love.

He went into his office and closed the door, barely resisting the urge to spin himself around in his desk chair and laugh hysterically. He'd never felt this way before...never this sheer ecstasy...not with Rebecca or Tessa...not with Cam...not even with Hannah. Booth was deliriously happy, and he really didn't give a damn who knew it. He could hardly wait until his meeting with the Deputy Director later that day to make things official. His work partner was also going to be his life partner. He knew Bones was worried that the FBI would make a stink over the two of them working together while they were in a romantic relationship, but since they had such a good solve rate, he figured the Deputy Director would choose results over protocol. Still, it was hard to wait… Booth felt like the good news about his relationship with Bones was going to bubble out of him any minute. He wanted to burst out of his office and run down the hall shouting at the top of his lungs. _ME AND BONES...WE'RE FINALLY TOGETHER._

Chuckling at that picture in his mind, Booth decided discretion would be the better choice. He leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window as he thought about everything that had happened over the last year. After the emotional roller coaster ride he and Bones had been through, they were finally together. After all, it hadn't been that many months ago when he'd asked Hannah to move in with him….

Booth paused suddenly, brought up short as he remembered the conversation between Bones and himself on that day as they walked along the Jersey shore together. She was quite surprised that he'd asked Hannah to move in with him with so little fanfare or ceremony to mark the occasion. "I hope she's not disappointed.", Bones had said. He didn't think much of it, but then Hannah had given him a gift...a gift that he knew Bones had picked out, but a gift just the same. Booth puffed out a sigh. He knew now that he wanted to get something for Bones to mark the beginning of this new aspect of their relationship, but what should it be? He stared at the ceiling trying to figure it out, but his mind was blank. He had no idea. Jewelry would have been the easy choice, but he wanted something that was more special...something that would have meaning for just the two of them…

His desk phone rang, calling him back to reality. As he opened his desk drawer to look for a pencil to jot down some information, he smiled. It was perfect...just what he needed. He knew exactly what to do.

Oooooooooo

At lunchtime two weeks later, Booth waited for Brennan at the diner, sitting at their usual table. He patted the small package in his pocket, hoping she'd understand the sentiment behind his gift. She was really literal, so in his mind it was a perfect choice, but still...it was an unusual choice all the same. He desperately wanted her to like this gift...he wanted something to express just how much she meant to him…something just as unique as she was...

His thoughts were interrupted as the diner doorbell chimed and he saw her walk in. Her cheeks were flushed from the cool air outside, and her blue eyes shone with love as she smiled at him. She was truly breathtaking. "Hello, Booth…" She bent down to give him a kiss. "I'm surprised you're here before me this afternoon…"

"Well, I wanted to make sure we got our usual table, you know?" He grinned at her as she looked over the menu. "How are things at the lab this morning?"

"Excellent. We were able to find cause of death for the victim, and Clark is now working on finding the exact weapon that caused the damage to the skull." She paused as the waitress came to take their order. "Why do you keep patting your jacket pocket, Booth?"

Busted. Booth cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat. "Well, um...listen, I was thinking. You remember how Hannah got me that bakelite phone when she moved in with me?"

"Yes." Brennan sipped her tea as she nodded. "She'd mentioned to me that she wanted to give you a gift." She eyed Booth suspiciously, wondering if he'd changed his mind about their relationship. "Why are you bringing that up now? Are you having regrets about us being together?"

He reached across the table to clasp her hand. "Of course not, Bones. I've never been as happy as I am with you. You know that, right? You make my life complete, alright?" She nodded slowly. "Good. Anyway, the point is, Hannah gave me a special gift to mark an important occasion in our relationship. She gave me that phone…" He waited until Brennan looked up at him. "...but I know you're the one who suggested it, because you knew how badly I'd wanted one. Did you pick it out for her to give to me?"

"No...well, perhaps I did, in a manner of speaking. I had seen one in an antique shop over on Springer Avenue, and I called Hannah, suggesting that she look there to see if it was still available." Brennan studied her teacup. "In the long run, it made no difference to me who gave it to you, as long as you got the phone that you wanted…"

"But you did that...you told Hannah about that phone, even though you'd wanted to give it to me yourself, because you cared for me and wanted me to be happy, right?" Booth rubbed his thumb across the back of Brennan's hand. "Just like you always have, even when I didn't know it. Even when I drew that stupid imaginary line between us after Epps died…even through Hannah and Sully and trips to the other side of the world while we were running from each other...through it all we've always had each other...we've always ended up together." He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. "That's why I got you this...to mark the start of the new phase of our relationship. I hope you like it."

"Booth, you didn't have to get me anything…" Brennan took the box from Booth's hand. "I don't need any sort of ceremonial gift from you to prove that you love me…"

"Yeah, but I want to do this. I need to give you this little token of my affection. I need to tell you how special you are to me. It's not anything fancy, but I think you'll know why I chose it…" He nervously pointed at the box. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Brennan gently pulled the paper away from the box and lifted the lid, her brow knitting in confusion as she saw the box's contents. It was a small black shadow box frame holding a large pink eraser, like the kind she'd used as a small child in elementary school. "I'm not sure I understand…" She smiled as she looked across the table at Booth, waiting for an explanation.

"Well…", Booth began quietly, "we've spent a lot of time apart over the years when we could've been together, all because of some dumb imaginary lines and silly misunderstandings and some really stupid mistakes on my part. So what I'm telling you with this gift is that we're going to erase all those lines and misunderstandings and past mistakes, and we're gonna to start fresh in this part of our relationship. We get a chance to start over again from scratch, you know, and I know we can get it right this time. And then if we make new mistakes, we can think about what this eraser means, and maybe erase them from our memories, too." Seeing the stunned look on Brennan's face, Booth shrugged as he chewed his lip and slumped a bit in his chair. "I'm sorry. I guess it's a really stupid idea…"

"No, Booth…" Brennan reached up to brush away a stray tear from her cheek as she smiled at him. "It's not stupid at all. It's actually a very beautiful thought, that we can erase the sad times between us and just remember our happiness, and this gift is the perfect symbol of that thought. It's one of the best gifts I've ever been given...after Brainy Smurf and Jasper, that is. The thought that we get to start over together is truly wonderful. Thank you, Booth." She smiled as she ran her fingers across the frame. "I'll cherish this forever. I love you..."

Relieved that Bones was pleased with her gift and its symbolism, Booth smiled as he entwined his fingers with hers. "I love you, too, Bones, and nothing will ever erase that from my heart."


End file.
